Ps 121:5-8 MSG “God’s your Guardian, right at your side to protect you—Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke. God guards you from every evil. He guards your very life. He guards you when you leave, and when you return, he guards you now. He guards you always.”

Get the picture? He’s all around you, above you, beneath you, in you, there is absolutely no way to get away from the fact that God is all about taking care of you. There’s no reason for you to think you’re ever alone, He’s there.

You simply can’t go by how you feel. The more you focus on feelings, the less time you focus on God. The devil will always try to distract you from your purpose. Shake it off! Gods got this! Place it in his VERY capable hands and renew your mind in the Word.

Begin to speak it out loud. Declare it to the mountain, “God has this! He’s my guardian! My steps are ordered, so back off devil! I will watch as my deliverer wipes the floor with you!”

Remember who you are. You’re a child of a mighty Guardian God. If that doesn’t empower you, I don’t know what will.

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 NASB2020

He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with Him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ! Ephesians 2:6 TPT

I believe that I am a daughter of the most high and living God. Who is God? God is love.

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.
1 John 4:16 NASB2020

That means that as His daughter, I not only have authority and purpose, but I possess the greatest characteristic of my Father, love. What does that look like?

That’s walking in my covenant. Redemption is mine. Healing is mine. My position is secure regardless of bad decisions, wrong moves, or attacks of the enemy.

We must remember whose image we’re created in and walk that out every day. Your past is history. Leave it there. Live in Christ. Be a reflection of love in the earth.

Sandy G

The king loved Esther more than any of the other young women, and she became his favorite. He approved of her more than any of the others. So King Xerxes put a crown on Esthers head and made her the new queen in place of Vashti. And the king gave a big party for Esther. It was for all his important people and leaders. He announced a festival in all the provinces and sent out gifts to people, because he was a generous king. Esther 2:17-18

What a beautiful picture of the lavish love of God. Humility, love, and compassion will cause people to take notice but will heap on us the favor of the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Some day, our King will come and take us to a beautiful place prepared just for us. A lavish feast we’ll all share. I look forward to seeing all of you there.

As we demonstrate His glory to the world, may we shine in all He created us to be and bring hope to a lost and dying world. It’s what we were born for!

Sandy G

I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this; however, I do have one compelling focus: I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead.
Philippians 3:13 TPT

There are so many consuming factors that creep in to get us sidetracked in life. Millions in any given day. Depending on what you listen to, it can be literally overwhelming.

Keep in mind that there will always be things that arise to try and distract you from Gods plans and purposes for your life. The trick is how to stay focused.

You can swat at them like a pesky mosquito that constantly alludes your grasp. You know it’s there, but eventually, your focus returns, and soon you forget it’s in the room.

Remember that God never loses sight of you. He is always aware of you. In fact, He has written your name on his hand. Keep your eyes on Him today.

Sandy G

Enter through the narrow gate because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—nearly everyone chooses that crowded road! Matthew 7:13 TPT

If everyone took the easy way, where would the adventure be? Nothing would be unique. Experiences would be unrelatable. But the narrow way leads to places unseen. The unknown becomes a welcome zone. The reward is access to Jesus and all He has.

Choosing the road less traveled can be a bit scary, especially if nobody else is in sight. There’s no one to ask directions from. You must rely upon your ability to hear what no one else can hear and see what no one else can see.

Without risk, there’s no possibility of reward. So when it’s offered, take it. Stop playing it safe and going along with the crowd. Make a difference where you are by being different.

“Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place? Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light. So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14‭-‬16 TPT

Sandy G

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

Here’s something to think on this weekend; Abram set out for a vague destination on a word from God. It says that he got to Canaan safe and sound and that God didn’t speak to him again until he arrived. Check it out for yourself in verse 7. God appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your children.” Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him.

Everything wasn’t perfect when he got there. It says the land was occupied. Most of us would have stayed there, but he kept going further south.

Then there was a famine and he ended up in Egypt and the king took his wife. HELLO! That’s crazy! But it was simply a setup to make Abram’s name great and give him more wealth. Gods plans for him were greater than he could imagine.

Some of us have heard the Lord ask us to do something but refuse to move without confirmation. What if God is waiting for you at the destination He’s called you to so He can give you further instruction?

Psalm 37:23 tells us that God establishes the steps of man and He delights in his way.

God has planned an adventure for us with clues along the way that show us we’re on the right path. Don’t build your home where you don’t belong and miss the best part of the journey. We should never be comfortable before we reach our final destination. Every place in-between is just a part of the adventure.

Father, I see you looking on, smiling at the twists and turns in the path I’m on, knowing that what’s up ahead is a prize that my mind can’t fathom. I trust You! As a child trusts their parents to provide and keep them safe, I trust You. I may not know where I’m going, but I know who goes with me, and I’m content in that. It’s in Jesus’ name, I thank You. Amen

Sandy G

Listen to how they whisper their slander against me, saying: “Look! He’s hopeless! Even God can’t save him from this!” Pause in his presence Psalms 3:2 TPT

I just love how comfortable David is with God that he can empty out all of his feelings and tell it like it is. And just as quickly, he says this:

But in the depths of my heart I truly know that you, Yahweh, have become my Shield; You take me and surround me with yourself. Your glory covers me continually. You lift high my head. I have cried out to you, Yahweh, from your holy presence. You send me a Father’s help. Pause in his presence Psalms 3:3‭-‬4 TPT

It’s what he has learned deep down in his heart that when he cries out, he’s sent a Father’s help. What does that look like? It’s what he learned from time spent with God because in reality, David had a horrible earthly father.

Regardless of whether your own father was a failure, an addict, a deadbeat, an abuser or just absent, as David learned from the best, so can you. Call on Him and allow Him to be your Father.

Sandy G

Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Genesis 28:12‭-‬15 NKJV

I just wanted to point out that God gave Jacob a dream that was personal to him. It’s was specifically designed for his future and his children’s future.

Don’t ever underestimate the dreams God gave you. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how exhaustive your journey has been, God made a promise, a covenant promise to bring you into a place that only He can bring you.

His direction may not make sense. But your ability to listen and follow that direction will bring about the future He’s promised you. All of the greats before you had go through stuff. You’re no exception!

There’s only one thing you need to remember; He will do what He said He would do in His time, not yours.

So stop looking at your current location and your impossible situation and look at the God whose Word never fails. It always does what He said to do, and that’s final. Your outcome was determined by God, not you. Trusting Him is the only thing He requires of you.

Sandy G

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 TPT

God is unimpressed with puny faithless prayers, but He will move heaven and earth to answer desperate faith filled prayers.

God’s excited when we pour our hearts out to Him. He loves the relationship we choose to have with Him. Just as we treasure relationship with our children, He treasures ours with His.

It’s what guarantees His all-encompassing peace. The peace that guards our hearts and stills our minds so that even the most evil schemes of the enemy will not disturb or take us from the stillness He provides.

Give Him all the details He longs to hear, then know that He will keep you in perfect peace when your mind is stayed on Him.

Sandy G

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7 NKJV

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 AMPC

We live in a real and natural world where what we see, smell, taste, and feel has become our reality. But for just one moment, I’d like to challenge you to flip your normal mindset and shift your reality a bit.

Did you know that God sees things differently than you? First of all, He knows the end from the beginning, so He operates with an advantage we don’t have. I’m pretty sure that God’s never surprised by anything. You may be, but He is not.

So if Satan’s job is to deceive us by getting us to put more stock in the natural, he’s doing a pretty good job of it. Look around you. There’s not one of us who hasn’t been convinced that our reality is more real than God’s word.

If you want to kick fear in the face, start putting more stock in the God who never lies, never leaves, has the power to hold universes together, heals, saves, and delivers. Do I need to go on?

I challenge you today to change your mind about what’s real. If you’re facing an impossible situation, remember that nothing is impossible with God. If Satan has determined that your future is hopeless, remember that God has given you a future and a hope.

Sandy G